12 persons arrested in Cabanatuan drug raids

By Mar T.  Supnad

 CABANATUAN CITY — Police arrested 12 persons here in five anti-drug raids that also yielded shabu packets last week.

The raids targeted the houses of five known drug dealers, city police Ponciano Zafra said.

One of those arrested was wounded in a shootout with police, Zafra said.

He identified the suspected dealers as sisters Ma. Adoracion Maranan and Ma. Mean Maranan, both from Barangay Barrera, and cousins Teresita Magno and Jeffry Magno, and Melvin Manio, all from Barangay Imelda.

Fourteen sachets of shabu were found in from Ma. Adoracion’s house. She was arrested along with seven others who were caught using drugs in her house.

Ma. Mean, on the other hand, was apprehended after police found eight sachets of shabu in her room.

Eleven shabu packets were found in the house of Melvin Manio. His brother, Mark, shot it out with the police and was wounded in the exchange of fire.

Seized from Mark was around 5 grams of shabu.

Zafra and his men were issued an search warrant by Nueva Ecija Executive Judge Ana Marie Joson- Viterbo.

A week ago, Zafra led the confiscation of more than 7.2 kilos of marijuana and arrested thgree suspected pushers. It was the biggest marijuana haul in the city’s history.

“Hindi kami titigil hangga’t may gumagamit at nagtutulak ng droga. Huhulihin naming lahat ang mga salot dito sa lungsod”, said Zafra.

Since July 1 last year, the city police had recovered almost a kilo of shabu, around 8 kilos of marijuana and had caused the surrender of more than 4,800 drug personalities.